Zirconia toughened alumina (ZTA) ceramic inserts infused with CuO solid lubricant were fabricated by Hot Press technique and studied. The creation of a Cu-rich phase of ionic copper at the grain boundaries slightly lowered the micro hardness of developed samples, while crack bridging and crack deflection phenomena fuelled by the ductile behaviour of Cu particles improved fracture toughness. Performance in terms of machining force, surface roughness and flank wear was measured while dry machining of AISI 4340 steel. The anti-friction properties of CuO added inserts resulted in less flank wear as compared to monolithic ZTA inserts while machining continuously up to 20 min, and the formation of a stable lubricating film at the tool-chip interface was proposed as the underlying mechanism. Further, a reduction in cutting force with increasing speed and improvement in surface roughness with increasing depth of cut was observed. Failure analysis of developed cutting inserts after 25 min of machining revealed brittle breakage (chipping, cracking and flaking), with cracks initiating inside the matrix without plastic deformation.

采用热压技术制备并注入了CuO固体润滑剂的氧化锆增韧氧化铝（ZTA）陶瓷刀片。晶界处离子铜富铜相的产生略微降低了已开发样品的显微硬度，而由于铜颗粒的延展行为助长的裂纹桥接和裂纹变形现象改善了断裂韧性。在对AISI 4340钢进行干式加工时，测量了加工力，表面粗糙度和后刀面磨损方面的性能。与整体式ZTA刀片相比，添加CuO刀片的抗摩擦性能可减少侧面磨损，而连续加工长达20分钟，则建议在刀具-芯片界面处形成稳定的润滑膜作为其基本机理。更多，观察到切削力随速度增加而减小，并且表面粗糙度随切削深度的增加而改善。加工25分钟后对已开发的切削刀片进行的故障分析显示，脆性断裂（碎裂，开裂和剥落），其中裂纹在基体内产生，而没有塑性变形。